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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-06-09 Policy & Services Committee Agenda PacketPolicy and Services Committee      1   Tuesday, June 9, 2020 Regular Meeting 7:00 PM ****BY VIRTUAL TELECONFERENCE ONLY*** https://zoom.us/join Meeting ID: 968 7491 2350 Phone: 1-669-900-6833 Pursuant to the provisions of California Governor’s Executive Order N-29-20, issued on March 17, 2020, to prevent the spread of Covid-19, this meeting will be held by virtual teleconference only, with no physical location. The meeting will be broadcast on Midpen Media Center at https://midpenmedia.org. Members of the public who wish to participate by computer or phone can find the instructions at the end of this agenda. Call to Order Oral Communications Members of the public may speak to any item NOT on the agenda. Action Items 1. Policy and Services Committee and Staff Recommend the City Council Accept the Status Update of the Audit of the Business Registry 2. Policy and Services Committee and Staff Recommend the City Council Accept the Status Update of the Audit of Parking Funds (Continued From March 17, 2020) 3. Delay of Review of Council Travel Policy, Council Procedures and Protocols, Section 7, and Public Availability of Council Travel Expense Reports, as Referred by City Council at the Annual Retreat, February 1, 2020 Future Meetings and Agendas Adjournment AMERICANS WITH DISABILITY ACT (ADA): Persons with disabilities who require auxiliary aids or services in using City facilities, services or programs or who would like information on the City’s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, may contact (650) 329-2550 (Voice) 24 hours in advance.  2 June 9, 2020   Public Comment Instructions Members of the Public may provide public comments to virtual meetings via teleconference or by phone. 1. Spoken public comments using a computer will be accepted through the teleconference meeting. To address the Committee, click on the link below to access a Zoom-based meeting. Please read the following instructions carefully. A. You may download the Zoom client or connect to the meeting in- browser. If using your browser, make sure you are using a current, up-to-date browser: Chrome 30+, Firefox 27+, Microsoft Edge 12+, Safari 7+. Certain functionality may be disabled in older browsers including Internet Explorer. B. You may be asked to enter an email address and name. We request that you identify yourself by name as this will be visible online and will be used to notify you that it is your turn to speak. C. When you wish to speak on an Agenda Item, click on “raise hand.” The Clerk will activate and unmute speakers in turn. Speakers will be notified shortly before they are called to speak. D. When called, please limit your remarks to the time limit allotted. E. A timer will be shown on the computer to help keep track of your comments. 2. Spoken public comments using a smart phone will be accepted through the teleconference meeting. To address the Committee, download the Zoom application onto your phone from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and enter the Meeting ID below. Please follow the instructions B-E above. 3. Spoken public comments using a phone use the telephone number listed below. When you wish to speak on an agenda item hit *9 on your phone so we know that you wish to speak. You will be asked to provide your first and last name before addressing the Committee. You will be advised how long you have to speak. When called please limit your remarks to the agenda item and time limit allotted. https://zoom.us/join Meeting ID: 968 7491 2350 Phone No: 1-669-900-6833 City of Palo Alto (ID # 11111) Policy and Services Committee Staff Report Report Type: Action Items Meeting Date: 6/9/2020 City of Palo Alto Page 1 Summary Title: BRC Audit Response Title: Policy and Services Committee and Staff Recommend that the City Council Accept the Status Update of the Audit of the Business Registry From: City Manager Lead Department: Administrative Services Recommendation Staff Recommends the Policy and Services Committee Recommend the City Council Accept the Status Update of the Audit of the Business Registry. Background In September 2018, the City Auditor’s Office issued the Business Registry audit with the purpose to assess the City’s business registry rules, processes, and data and provide recommendations to improve and maintain data quality. At its meeting on September 11, 2018, the Policy and Services Committee unanimously approved to recommend that the City Council accept the Business Registry audit. The City Council accepted the audit in a 7 – 0 vote at its meeting on August 5, 2019. Additional information and clarification were requested by the Policy and Services Committee and was addressed by the Business Registry Post Audit Memorandum from the City Auditor’s Office dated July 25, 2019, on the following areas outside of the audit scope: 1) Reliability (i.e., completeness and accuracy) of 2018 business registry data that MuniServices collected for the City 2) Decline in the number of business registrations from 2015 to 2017 3) Comparison of Palo Alto’s business registry with other jurisdictions Since the August 5th Council meeting, the administration of the Business Registry program has transferred from the Planning and Development Services Department to the Administrative Services Department. In light of COVID-19 and the impact on local businesses, during the March 23, 2020 Council meeting, Council approved a motion to discontinue work on the local business tax measure for the November 2020 election and to have Staff focus on the business registry certificate City of Palo Alto Page 2 program. Over the coming year, Staff was directed to work on streamlining the process to register and ensuring all businesses are registered, improving completeness of the registry and the reliability of the data. Council additionally asked Staff to consider waiving the business registration fee. At the May 4th Council meeting, Staff recommended that Council adopt a resolution waiving the business registration fee and late fees due for 2020, adopt a resolution rescinding the approval of the levy of assessments for the Downtown Business Improvement District (BID) for FY20, and approve the reimbursement of business registration fees and BID assessments due in 2020 that have been paid by businesses. These recommendations passed in a 7 – 0 vote and program administration has since been focused around communicating these changes and coordinating reimbursements with our vendor. Discussion With the recent transitioning of the program in January, program launch for 2020 in February, and COVID-19, there has been insufficient time to act on all the audit recommendations. Staff intends to act on the rest of the recommendations in Fall 2020. The status update for each recommendation can be viewed in detail in Attachment A. The Business Registry Program has seen a few revisions since this audit and the updates provided in this staff report. In March 2020, the City Council provided direction to staff to terminate work on a potential business tax local ballot measure for the November 2020 election. Furthermore, Council directed that future work focus on revisions to the city’s existing business registry certificate program with the specific goals of streamlining the process to register and ensuring all businesses are registered, improving the completeness of the registry and reliability of the data. In addition, this program has been impacted by a few actions as a result of the current public health emergency (COVID-19): (1) City Council approved a waiver of the fees for 2020 to assist businesses during this unprecedented time. (2) Staff is leveraging the current business support program to also support the Business Registry program as well. It is expected in the next audit update that this most recent direction will be included in the updates as appropriate. Resource Impact Implementation of the audit recommendations have been handled with existing resources. Policy Implications Implementation of the audit recommendations is consistent with existing city policies. Stakeholder Engagement This report and the updates within have been coordinated with the City Auditor’s Office staffing. Attachments: City of Palo Alto Page 3 • Attachment A: Status of Audit Recommendations Attachment A STATUS OF AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS BUSINESS REGISTRY AUDIT- ISSUED 8/28/18 The City Manager has agreed to take the following actions in response to the audit recommendations in this report. The City Manager will report progress on implementation six months after the Council accepts the audit report, and every six months thereafter until all recommendations have been implemented. Recommendation Responsible Department(s) Agree, Partially Agree, or Do Not Agree and Target Date and Corrective Action Plan To be completed 6 months after Council acceptance and every 6 months thereafter until all recommendations are implemented Current Status Implementation Update and Expected Completion Date Finding: The City’s business registry data was not reliable. Data that MuniServices LLC started collecting under contract with the City in 2018 should be more reliable, but there is opportunity for further improvement. To improve and maintain the quality of the City’s business registry data, we recommend that the City Manager: 1. Identify and consult with key stakeholders (e.g., City Council, Planning and Community Environment Department) who use the business registry to clarify existing and potential uses and priorities for business registry data. Based on these consultations, review and modify the questions, as necessary, that the City asks businesses to self-report. Administrative Services Concurrence: Agree Target Date: June 30,2019 Action Plan: Development Services Department (DSD) will lead an effort to gather feedback from internal department stakeholders as noted in the column to the left. The department may also discuss the registry with external stakeholders. Staff will return to City Council for a recommendation prior to the 2020 Business Registry cycle. In Progress June 2020 Management Update: Existing and potential uses of business registry data have not been clarified through stakeholder discussions due to the transitioning of this program to a new department and the work related to waiving of BRC fees due to COVID-19. Staff will work to address this recommendation in the upcoming FY21 cycle. Expected Completion Date: Fall 2020 2. As part of a broader strategy to improve the reliability of the business registry, explore and assess the cost versus benefit of the following options, which may work in synergy: • Identify the type and sources of external data that can improve the accuracy of data collected. This could include, for example, using the U.S. Census Bureau’s Administrative Services Concurrence: Agree Target Date: June 30, 2019 Action Plan: DSD agrees to explore and assess the cost versus the benefit of the suggested options. Staff will return to the City Council during the Fiscal Year 2020 budget cycle with any associated program recommendations. Staff does intend to utilize MuniServices business discovery Complete June 2020 Management Update: The verification of business data is done through the discovery process performed by Avenu Insights & Analytics. City Council approved a new contract with Avenu Insights & Analytics on 12/2/19 (CMR #10493) that included ways for increasing the accuracy of BRC data. This contract outlined Avenu Insights & Analytics using resources such as their own proprietary Attachment A STATUS OF AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS BUSINESS REGISTRY AUDIT- ISSUED 8/28/18 Recommendation Responsible Department(s) Agree, Partially Agree, or Do Not Agree and Target Date and Corrective Action Plan To be completed 6 months after Council acceptance and every 6 months thereafter until all recommendations are implemented Current Status Implementation Update and Expected Completion Date Statistics of U.S. Businesses program data, either by itself or together with other available data, to validate business registry data and identify potentially unregistered businesses. • Provide City data to MuniServices to help improve and monitor the reliability of the registry data (e.g., validation of registration when code violations are reported against a business or when a business applies for a permit, utilities customer data). • Gather data from in-person observations of City businesses. If the City decides to conduct in- person observations, it should work with MuniServices to plan, conduct, and accurately record the observations in a useful format. Alternatively, this could include hiring temporary help to physically identify where businesses are located in the City to supplement data self-reported by businesses or through other data sources and to improve the accuracy of future updates. and analytics services prior to the 2019 Business Registry cycle. This service will utilize external sources acquired by MuniServices. Staff will also meet with the Utilities and Information Technology departments to discuss data sharing. database sources, the State of California Sales Tax data, Santa Clara County Real Property data, Dun & Bradstreet, and InfoUSA for verifying the accuracy of the BRC database. Data sources used varies by availability and coverage area. Additionally, to begin discovery services, the contract states Staff provides business fee and business and occupation application forms as well as database files such as commercial utility billing records to Avenu Insights & Analytics. The Palo Alto Transportation Management Association (PATMA) provided Staff with business data gathered through in-person observations of downtown businesses to assist in keeping the BRC database accurate. This was provided to the Avenu Insights & Analytics discovery services team to inform their efforts. Staff will explore the future of making this a regular source of information provided. Attachment A STATUS OF AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS BUSINESS REGISTRY AUDIT- ISSUED 8/28/18 Recommendation Responsible Department(s) Agree, Partially Agree, or Do Not Agree and Target Date and Corrective Action Plan To be completed 6 months after Council acceptance and every 6 months thereafter until all recommendations are implemented Current Status Implementation Update and Expected Completion Date 3. Update the Development Services business registry administrative manual to reflect Development Services’ new project management and contract administrator roles and responsibilities. The update should incorporate: • The City’s guidelines for contract administration roles and responsibilities that are available in the City’s Procurement Fundamentals Training Guide. • Specific steps to monitor the reliability of the registry data. This can include basic steps to periodically review trends and validate the consistency, accuracy, and completeness of a sample of registry records by comparing them with other City or publicly available databases. Administrative Services Concurrence: Agree Target Date: December 31, 2018 Action Plan: DSD will update the administrative manual prior to the 2019 Business Registry Cycle. Staff does intend to review reliability of the registry data prior to the launch of each annual collection cycle and to include reference to this practice in the administrative manual. In Progress June 2020 Management Update: Updating the existing administrative manual is a work in progress. Staff will work next to obtain more in-depth information on how Avenu Insights & Analytics reviews data for accuracy and completeness and how Staff can best monitor and support for quality control. This information will be incorporated into the administrative manual. Expected Completion Date: Fall 2020. City of Palo Alto (ID # 11245) Policy and Services Committee Staff Report Report Type: Action Items Meeting Date: 6/9/2020 City of Palo Alto Page 1 Summary Title: Parking Funds Audit Status Update Title: Staff Recommends the Policy and Services Committee Recommend the City Council Accept the Status Update on the Audit of Parking Funds (Continued From March 17, 2020) From: City Manager Lead Department: Planning and Development Services Recommended Motion Staff recommends that the Policy and Services Committee recommend that the City Council accept the attached Status of Audit Recommendations regarding the Audit of Parking Funds. Background In December 2015, the City Auditor’s Office issued an audit of parking funds (https://www.cityofpaloalto.org/civicax/filebank/documents/51373). The purpose of the audit was to determine if the City’s parking in‐lieu and parking permit fees are collected, accounted for, and used in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, policies, and governing documents. Staff members from Planning and Development Services, Administrative Services, Public Works, the City Attorney’s Office, Police, and Community Services have jointly worked to address the recommendations. To ensure the continuity of improvements, a workgroup was formed consisting of staff from these departments. This group meets at least quarterly to address roles and responsibilities for budgeting and parking fund management. Staff reported on audit status to the Policy and Services Committee in November 2017 and again in June 2018. In the June update report, only one item was awaiting completion. Discussion The workgroup continued to pursue the remaining recommendation (recommendation 1.5): creating a Protocol covering the necessary procedures to ensure appropriations, City of Palo Alto Page 2 funding sources, and capital expenses are accurately and completely tracked during the life of each new parking garage CIP project. More detail can be found in Attachment A. This completes staff action to address all audit recommendations, and City Council approval of this report will close out follow-up on this audit. Attachments: • Attachment A: Audit status update February 2020 table attachment • Attachment B: Parking In-Lieu Fee Reset Calculation Template • Attachment C: Parking In-Lieu Fee Process STATUS OF AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS AUDIT OF PARKING FUNDS – ISSUED 12/15/15 PAGE 1 The City Manager has reviewed and provided the following responses to the audit recommendations in this report. The City Manager will report progress on implementation six months after the Council accepts the audit report, and every six months thereafter until all recommendations have been addressed. Recommendation Responsible Department Original Response and Target Date Current Status (Complete, In Progress, or Not Started) Implementation Update and Expected Completion Date Finding 1: The City does not have policies and procedures to ensure that it accurately calculates and assesses parking in-lieu fees and tracks expenditures related to construction of public parking spaces. 1.5 After updating the Municipal Code, PCE, ASD, and Public Works work together to develop written policies and procedures to: • Clarify roles and responsibilities for applying the Municipal Code requirements and monitoring compliance. • Ensure that the parking in-lieu fee is calculated, collected, and reported accurately, consistently, and timely. • Ensure that appropriations, funding sources, actual revenues, and capital expenditures are accurately and completely tracked during the life of each CIP project. • Verify final project costs for accuracy, close out the project, and release unused project funds upon completion of the project. • Ensure that complete records related to the costs of planning and constructing a garage(s) are retained for the entire period for which they serve as the basis for calculating the parking in-lieu fee. Planning and Community Environment, Administrative Services, Public Works, City Clerk Concurrence: Partially agree Target Date: 2016 Action Plan: Staff concurs that enhanced coordination and communication should occur among PCE, PW, and ASD regarding the parking in-lieu fee. However, rather than creating detailed procedures, staff recommends prioritizing the code amendments referenced above and developing a simple, high level protocol that briefly outlines the steps and responsibilities for calculating and charging the parking in-lieu fee. • The PCE impact fee and in-lieu fee project mentioned above will ensure consistent and timely fee calculation. Accela will flag the need for fee payment before permit signoff. • Ensuring that appropriations, funding sources, actual revenues, and capital expenditures are accurately and completely tracked during the life of each CIP project is the goal of every department. • A process for verifying final project Complete February 2020 Management Update: As of the last update, staff was working on completing a protocol for collecting, documenting, and verifying final garage costs and establishing the roles and responsibilities for calculating and charging the parking-in-lieu fee. This protocol has now been completed and is attached. Additionally, staff has revised its reporting methodology for retention of development impact fees and the Parking Workgroup, consisting of Office of Transportation, PWD, ASD, CSD, and PD continues to meet. Completion Date: March, 2019 June 2018 Management Update: The remaining piece of this recommendation that was not completed as of the last update was the process for establishing the protocols for collecting, documenting, and verifying final garage costs. As an outcome of the audit, a workgroup consisting of PCE, PWD, ASD, CSD, and PD was formed and meets regularly. Led by PCE, this workgroup meets quarterly to coordinate budgeting and to discuss the status of parking funds, opportunities for streamlining, STATUS OF AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS AUDIT OF PARKING FUNDS – ISSUED 12/15/15 PAGE 2 Recommendation Responsible Department Original Response and Target Date Current Status (Complete, In Progress, or Not Started) Implementation Update and Expected Completion Date Communicate and train staff on the policies and procedures. costs and identification of the responsible department will be included in the high level protocol mentioned above. • The goal of retaining complete records related to the costs of planning and constructing garages will require a clarification in the City’s Records Retention Policy. The Policy does not clearly identify the need to retain these records in perpetuity nor does it identify the responsible department. The responsible departments will raise this issue with the City Clerk’s office. and program progress. PWD has taken the lead in ensuring that all relevant data is being collected for the Downtown Parking Garage project. The workgroup has begun crafting a simple high-level protocol for collecting, documenting, and verifying final project costs concurrent with the design, construction, and closing of the new Downtown Parking Garage CIP project, and for using the garage parking space inventory and cost information to calculate the revised parking-in-lieu fee, consistent with the Municipal Code. With the workgroup now firmly established and meeting regularly, this recommendation should soon be completed. Expected Completion Date: Fall 2018 October 2017 Management Update: • PCE’s project to program impact fees into Accela (permitting system), is now complete and operational. The steps and responsibilities for calculating and charging the parking in-lieu fee are covered in the new procedures written by staff for impact fee assessment and collection via Accela. Accela programming includes a block to the issuance of a building permit until impact fees have been paid. • The new Downtown Parking Garage design is now underway and staff is considering the necessary procedures to ensure appropriations, funding sources, and capital expenses are accurately and completely STATUS OF AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS AUDIT OF PARKING FUNDS – ISSUED 12/15/15 PAGE 3 Recommendation Responsible Department Original Response and Target Date Current Status (Complete, In Progress, or Not Started) Implementation Update and Expected Completion Date tracked during the life of each new parking garage CIP project. • A workgroup consisting of PCE, PWD, ASD, CSD, and PD has been formed and meets quarterly to discuss the parking funds and coordinate budgeting. A subgroup of appropriate departments will craft a simple high-level protocol for collecting, documenting, and verifying final project costs concurrent with the design, construction, and closing of the new Downtown Parking Garage CIP project, and for using the garage parking space inventory and cost information to calculate the revised parking-in-lieu fee, consistent with the Municipal Code. • Staff is working with the City Clerk’s office to identify and update areas of the Records Retention Schedule which require updating to ensure total costs for garage construction are retained for at least the period of time for which they serve as the basis for calculating the parking in-lieu fee. Expected Completion Date: Winter 2020 (the expected completion date of the New Downtown Parking Garage) Expense Type Expense Description Amount Notes DESIGN & SOFT COSTS Permits, Fees, Utilities Plan Check/ Permit Fees Utility Fees Relocation, connection etc should all be included. Relocation may be included in the construction  cost, do not double count. Title Reports Easement Costs To include related attorney fees. Land Acquisition Other Must specify ‐ all CIP costs should be accounted for. Architect & Engineer Architect Architect Reimbursables Architect Add Services Budget Civil Engineering Services Structural Engineering Services Mechanical/Plumbing/Electric Architect Add Services Fee Other Must specify ‐ all CIP costs should be accounted for. Other Consultants Geotechnical Engineering Geological Testing Feasibility Study Site Assessment  Survey and Parcel Map  Archeologist Traffic Consultant Project Management Preconstruction C‐3 Stormwater Management Arborist Construction Management Construction Management Add Services Photo Documentation Commissioning Agent Acoustical Study City Staff Time City of Palo Alto staff salary actuals to date recorded in the CIP plus projected costs Other Must specify ‐ all CIP costs should be accounted for. Insurance & Bonds Builders Risk and OCIP Bonds Bond Issuance/ Financing Any legal fees and outside counsel required. Other Must specify ‐ all CIP costs should be accounted for. Testing & Inspection Geotechnical Inspections Geotechnical Inspections Add Services  Special Inspections Special Inspections Add Services Waterproofing Inspections Misc. Sewer / Existing Utility Other Must specify ‐ all CIP costs should be accounted for. Expense Type Expense Description Amount Notes Subtotal ‐$            SOFT COST TOTAL ‐$            CONSTRUCTION HARD COSTS Demolition Construction Other Must specify ‐ all CIP costs should be accounted for. Subtotal ‐$            Construction/Owner Contingency ‐$            CONSTRUCTION HARD COST TOTAL ‐$            ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS & EXPENSES Marketing & Operating Advertising & Printing Community Events Reimbursables Blueprinting/FedEx/Etc. Reimbursables Travel, meeting, and any other project associated reimbursable cost. Miscellaneous Expenses Parking Mitigation & Temporary Parking  Measures Model/Trailer/Office Temporary Services Must specify ‐ all CIP costs should be accounted for. Other Must specify ‐ all CIP costs should be accounted for. EXPENSES TOTAL ‐$            PROJECT TOTAL ‐$             SPECIAL FACTORS These are factors that need to be backed out of the Project Total for various reasons. Retail Space If retail space is added to the project scope the cost associated with building that space should  NOT go into the calculation of the fee. Tenant Improvements Solar Installation Other Must specify ‐ all CIP costs should be accounted for. Consult with Attorney's Office. SPECIAL FACTORS TOTAL ‐$            NET NEW SPACES ADDED CALC Total Number of Spaces in New Garage Motorcylce spaces should be included here based on the actual number of regular spaces they  occupy (e.g. there are 10 motorcycle spaces occupying 2 full size spaces then count as 2 spaces) . New Garage Number of Retail or Other  Designated Use Spaces Original Lot/Garage Number of Spaces TOTAL NET NEW SPACES 0 NEW IN‐LIEU FEE Project Total / Total Net New Spaces Parking In-Lieu Fee Reset Process & Procedure • Upon awarding a new construction contract for a parking facility, the in-lieu parking fee will be recalculated by the department managing the construction project (the “managing department”) using the criteria in Palo Alto Municipal Code Section 16.57.030. • The managing department will take an ordinance to Council amending the Municipal Fee Schedule to amend the in-lieu parking fee. The ordinance amendment will be taken to Council at the same time as the construction contract award or as soon as possible thereafter, no later than 30 days after final execution of the construction contract. The ordinance requires two readings and becomes effective on the 31st day after final adoption (second reading). • Upon adoption of the new fee the ordinance shall be distributed to applicable Planning and Development Services (PDS) Staff to ensure the new fee is used. • The steps for calculating the fee prior to construction include analyzing the actual design costs, bond financing costs (if applicable), land acquisition costs (if applicable), administrative costs (including staff salaries and benefits), expected/projected construction costs based on the construction contract award, and total parking spaces, accounting for various project specific variances and circumstances. (See PAMC Section 16.57.030, subsection (b)(i).) • All costs associated with the new construction should be realized in the CIP project in the ERP system, as should all appropriations and funding sources. • When construction is complete and during project close out, the managing department will again recalculate the fee based on actual expenditures, costs, parking spaces, and other relevant factors. (See PAMC Section 16.57.030, subsection (b)(ii).) • The managing department will take to Council an ordinance amending the Municipal Fee Schedule to update the in-lieu parking fee. The ordinance amendment will be taken to Council as soon as practicable after the final payment is made towards the project, but no later than 60 days after final payment is issued. (Final payment may come later than construction contract closeout, as issues such as LEED certification continue beyond construction.) • The fee will be adjusted annually for inflation and collected by the Planning and Development Services Department (PDS)), who manages the fee on an ongoing basis. (See PAMC 16.34.110). • Managing department staff will communicate and train staff on this protocol to ensure implementation and ongoing compliance. • Consistent with the records retention schedule, the managing department will ensure complete records are kept pertaining to project costs for the entire period for which they serve as the basis for calculating the parking in-lieu fee. • The attached worksheet details the process for calculating the fee, both pre- construction and post-construction, based on all applicable costs and factors set forth in the Municipal Code. City of Palo Alto (ID # 11244) Policy and Services Committee Staff Report Report Type: Action Items Meeting Date: 6/9/2020 City of Palo Alto Page 1 Summary Title: Review of Council Travel Policy Title: Delay of Review of Council Travel Policy, Council Procedures and Protocols, Section 7, and Public Availability of Council Travel Expense Reports, as Referred by City Council at the Annual Retreat, February 1, 2020 From: City Manager Lead Department: City Manager Recommendation Staff recommends that the Policy and Services Committee delay a discussion of the Council Procedures and Protocols, Section 7, City Council and Boards and Commissions Policy for Travel and Miscellaneous Expense Reimbursement, whether Council’s travel expense reports should be made available to the public, and refer any recommended changes to Council for approval and adoption until such time as Council has a travel budget to expend. Background At the City Council Retreat held February 1, 2020, the following action was taken: SUBSTITUTE MOTION AS AMENDED: Council Member Filseth moved, seconded by Council Member Cormack to refer the following to the Policy and Services Committee for review and discussion: A. Council Procedures and Protocols, Section 7, City Council and Boards and Commissions Policy for Travel and Miscellaneous Expense Reimbursement; and B. Consider whether to make City Council travel expense reports available to the public. SUBSTITUTE MOTION AS AMENDED PASSED: 7-0 (Action Minutes) Though a report is presented, no further discussion is recommended at this time. Discussion The 2019 Policy and Services Committee reviewed the Council Procedures and Protocols, Section 7, at their November 12, 2019. Based on the November 12, 2019 Policy and Services Committee, a previously edited version of Section 7 was attached to the December 10, 2019 Policy and Services Committee Agenda, dated 2016. This was provided by the City’s City of Palo Alto Page 2 Administrative Services Department and was edited to align with the City’s Travel Policy for employees. You may choose to discuss this further and make additional recommendations based on the November report, which included information about other cities’ budgets for travel and meetings, how these funds are allocated, and whether changes should be recommended to the full Council. In addition, the motion from the City Council Retreat in February further asked Policy and Services to consider whether to make City Council travel expense reports available to the public. It should be noted that all travel expense reports are public documents, available upon request. The decision here may be to make these reports available online whether there is a public request or not. Timeline, Resource Impact, Policy Implications (If Applicable) Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the travel budget has been reduced to $0. A potential timeline for resuming this discussion is unlikely to happen until discussion of the FY22 budget. Impacts to staff resources to make travel expense reports public are described by Administrative Services as minimal. Stakeholder Engagement Policy and Services has reviewed and discussed this topic at the end of 2019 and as a part of their annual retreat. The City’s Administrative Services Department Director was engaged related to costs that might be realized by any changes to budget allocations and/or publicly posting travel expense reports. Environmental Review This is not considered a project in terms of CEQA.